Introduction

The Indian Cabinet's recent approval for including caste enumeration in the general census is a significant and positive development.

Importance of Caste Data

• Caste continues to play a crucial role in India's social structure, despite modernization and urbanization trends.
• The lack of accurate caste data has been a major gap, leading to politically-charged narratives and propaganda.
• Accurate caste data is essential for understanding its impact on access to resources and opportunities.

Implications for Policy and Governance

• Caste is one of several parameters used by policymakers to design and assess the impact of schemes.
• Reliable and granular data can improve policy design and implementation.
• Transparent data collection can minimize political manipulation and misappropriation.

Challenges and Opportunities

• The decision to enumerate castes may be seen through a political lens, but transparency can reduce politicization.
• Reliable data collection is crucial for effective resource allocation.
• The government has an opportunity to correct misuses of unenumerated caste data.

In conclusion, while the hope remains for the eventual 'annihilation' of caste, accurate and transparent caste data collection is a step towards more equitable policy-making and governance.